Palestine protest organisers found guilty of breaching police restrictions
Two prominent organisers of demonstrations in support of Palestine in the UK have been found guilty of breaking police restrictions following their arrest during a protest against the war in Gaza in central London in January.
Chris Nineham, 62, the Stop the War Coalition's vice-chair, and Ben Jamal, 61, chair of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, were found guilty at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday of two counts of breaking the Public Order Act.
The activists were arrested during a pro-Palestine rally after police had imposed late restrictions limiting the event to a static protest after previously approving the route of a planned march to the BBC proposed by organisers months in advance.
Organisers denied the Metropolitan Police's claim that protesters had forced their way through a police cordon after ending their protest in Whitehall.
Footage taken by Middle East Eye showed police officers in riot gear surrounding Nineham and bundling him into the back of a police van after a small group of protesters left Whitehall to lay flowers in Trafalgar Square to mark the deaths of Palestinian children.
District Judge Daniel Sternberg, delivering the judgment on Wednesday after a three-day trial, said: "The court emphasised that protest rights while fundamental, are not absolute and do not permit breaching lawfully imposed restrictions."
Sternberg added that the conditions imposed by the police were "lawful" and noted a speech made by Jamal after the march "constituted incitement" of the crowd.
"Mr Jamal's speech constituted incitement: it was a suggestion, persuasion, and inducement encouraging breach of the condition," said Sternberg.
"The commander acted under valid statutory powers and applied the correct test. The commander's belief in serious disruption was reasonable, based on evidence about business disruption, crowd size, serious disruption to worshippers at nearby synagogues and PSC's own estimate of 100,000 participants."
During the trial, Judge Sternberg also denied an application by Mark Summers KC on behalf of Jamal and Nineham to dismiss the case.
Kevin Dent KC, representing the British government, showed the court a video of a speech made in January 2025 in which Jamal told a crowd that he and other protest leaders planned to attempt to walk towards the BBC’s headquarters to protest the corporation’s reporting of the genocide in Gaza as an example of “incitement”.
In response, Summers described the case against his clients as “unlawful,” citing a previous Court of Appeal ruling that legislation granting the police “unlimited powers” to restrict protests was enacted unlawfully.
Chaos and confusion
He also highlighted the confusion within police ranks as events unfolded at the first cordon on Whitehall after body-worn camera footage from an officer at the scene was played out in court.
Quoting a vulgar remark directly from an officer captured on camera after the police line had given way, Summers read aloud: “I present you the massive clusterfuck that was.”
The comment, he argued, reflected the chaotic and reactive nature of the policing operation. In other clips, an officer can be heard shouting “withdraw, withdraw” as the cordon came under pressure from the sheer density of the crowd.
Summers said the footage undermined the prosecution’s portrayal of a calculated plan to overwhelm police lines. Instead, he argued, it showed operational confusion, inconsistent communication and officers struggling to manage large numbers.
Organisers denied the police claim that protesters had forced their way through a cordon after ending their protest in Whitehall.
A coalition of advocacy groups, including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, the Stop the War Coalition, and Friends of Al-Aqsa, publicly announced the march's original route on 30 November.
Key restrictions imposed by the police included a ban on beginning the march outside the BBC, citing concerns about its proximity to a synagogue.
Demonstrators said they wanted to "protest against the pro-Israel bias" of the BBC's coverage of Gaza.
However, the Metropolitan Police altered the route following objections from pro-Israel groups, the chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, and several MPs.
The coalition negotiated with the police over restrictions and routes, while many MPs, celebrities, and prominent figures condemned them.
The January protests were one of more than 20 national protests held since October 2023, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the UK government's support for Israel.
While previous marches had proceeded through central London, this protest was restricted to a static rally after concerns were raised that the march would disrupt the activities of a synagogue.
The prosecution also called Metropolitan Police Commander Adam Slonecki, who managed the police operation on the day.
Stressing that protesting outside the BBC was "legitimate" because it is a "public institution", Slonecki told the court that disruption to services at a nearby synagogue was a major factor that contributed to the Met's decision to impose protest restrictions.
Speaking outside the court after Wednesday's verdict, Chris Nineham and Ben Jamal said they planned to appeal the decision and described the verdict as a "dark day" for British civil liberties.
"This is clearly part of an ongoing criminalisation of the Palestine movement in which people protesting against a genocide are being targeted by a British establishment that is colluding with it and an attempt to send a chilling message across society that people shouldn't risk protesting - it is an attempt that will not stop us," said Nineham.
"This is also a step-change, a refusal to march in the vicinity of the BBC has simply not happened before and sends a very dangerous signal to millions of people across the country. This case should never have been brought because numerous of the day show that the police had ushered us in through their [police] lines."
Jamal added that the "judge in his final remarks said this about Chris and I - that 'we are men of former good character and this conviction today takes away your good character.
"Well let me quote a Palestinian who for me laid out the fundamental and moral judgement of how you judge any person's character, where a famous Palestinian said 'What did you do when Gaza was going through a genocide?'
"History will judge which of us stood on the right side of history. Chris and I will not be silenced. You will not be silenced. This movement will not be silenced.
Labour MP John McDonnell, who was arrested alongside Jamal and Nineham, described the judgment as a “gruesome verdict”.
“I was with Ben and Chris and we asked [the police] if we could go to the BBC and if they say no, we will lay flowers at their feet,” said McDonnell.
“This is a grotesque decision today and is in all part and parcel of an attack on our civil liberties.”
The judgment was also condemned as a "disgusting" decision by Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and long-time anti-war activist who now leads the left-wing Your Party, who also spoke out against British involvement in the US and Israeli war against Iran.
“Our voice is a very important one to speak up for rights of Palestinian people and make our voice known here because, whatever the Prime Minister [Keir Starmer] says, Britain is involved [in the war on Iran] by the use of British bases,” said Corbyn.
“If Britain did the same as Spain and Italy then it would make the US operation [against Iran] very difficult.”
This article was sourced from Middle East Eye.
Read Full Article on Middle East Eye →